The SUN HK : ‘Arcturus’ already in HK, say experts

17 April 2023

By The SUN

Experts say the high vaccination rate in HK will keep the new Omicron subvariant at bay

A highly infectious subvariant of Omicron has been detected in a number of Covid-19 positive patients in Hong Kong, health experts say.

However, people should not be alarmed as the cases involving Arcturus, also known as the XBB.1.16 sub-variant, tend to be less severe than other strains.

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Professor David Hui of Chinese University said that while the subvariant which has caused a spike in cases in India starting early this year is highly transmissible, it has not led to an increase in the number of severe cases.

“The transmissibility is quite high but the severity has not gone up. In the countries that have reported cases with this subvariant, there has been no increase in patients admitted to intensive care units or deaths … We do not need to be too worried,” Hui said in a radio interview.

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Hui said those who had been vaccinated or infected could produce enough T-cells, a type of white blood cells that ward off infection, to fight the sub variant. He also noted that Covid-19 drugs have been found effective in treating Arcturus.

About 40 percent of all Covid samples collected by Hong Kong authorities are said to be linked to subvariants from the XBB strain, but no outbreaks have been detected.

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But Hui noted that a number of children in India who were infected with Arcturus had developed keratitis, or inflammation of the cornea, or acute conjunctivitis, or what is commonly known as the red eye.

He said parents should take their children to doctors if their eyes begin to tear up.

However, respiratory expert Dr Leung Chi-chiu said the keratitis spread appears to be merely anectodal or not based on reality.

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Leung also said it was uncertain if the subvariant would become the dominant strain in Hong Kong as there are several hundred Covid-19 subvariantss found here.

Even if it does become the dominant strain it will not lead to a surge in cases as the city has a high level of herd immunity due to its high vaccination rate, he added.